AUTOMATED STAGING OF HAIR GRAFTS

Method and apparatus for automated staging of hair grafts using a camera for capturing one or more images of a staging area constructed for holding the hair grafts, and a controllable robotic arm having an aspiration tip mounted at a tool end thereof. An image captured by the camera is processed to identify a position of a hair graft in the image, and subsequent to distinguishing between a base end and a hair end of the hair graft in the image, an aspiration point is defined based at least in part on position of either or both of the base end and the hair end. The robotic arm is controlled to move the aspiration tip to the aspiration point, for aspiration of the hair graft into the aspiration tip. The aspirated graft may then be dispensed to a holding cartridge, sorted by number of hair grafts, or may be aspirated directly from the aspiration tip to a loading position in a hair implantation device, or to a loading position in a helper device for subsequent loading of the hair graft to a hair implantation device.